The Atlanta Falcons have made a huge upgrade in their secondary, without having to spend big money. They finalized the acquisition of Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel on Wednesday, after Samuel agreed to a restructured contract.

The Eagles announced they will receive a seventh-round pick (No. 229 overall) in return.

The two years remaining on Samuel's deal in Philadelphia owed him $9.9 million in 2012 and another $11.4 million in '13. His new deal with Atlanta reportedly is for three years and $18.5 million.

That agreement gave the Falcons the financial break they needed to acquire Samuel and keep his salary within their cap. Given cornerback Brent Grimes just signed his franchise tender at $10.3 million and another cornerback, Dunta Robinson, is in the third year of a six-year, $57 million contract, the team has invested heavily in the position.

The Falcons are breaking in new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who in the past has made good use of the versatility that comes with having three good corners. While Grimes has been great and Robinson slightly above average the past two seasons, Samuel adds needed dynamic playmaking to the mix.

Samuel, 31, has collected 45 interceptions in his nine-year career while earning four trips to the Pro Bowl.

Last year, the Falcons made it a point to upgrade their receiving corps to put them in better position to compete in shootouts. This year, by getting Samuel, they're working to improve their ability to handle NFC South passing games from the other side.

With Drew Brees and a talented receiving unit, the New Orleans Saints have been a handful for quite awhile. The Carolina Panthers have the red-hot combination of Cam Newton and Steve Smith, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just armed Josh Freeman with Vincent Jackson.

The Falcons won the division with the NFC's best regular-season record in 2010. In '11, they settled for a wild-card berth behind the Saints. The seasons each ended in quick, disappointing playoff exits for Atlanta.

With coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan, Atlanta has the stability and talent to remain a playoff team this season. If Samuel is close to his ballhawking best, they will be much improved lining up against the conference's top offenses.